Suy Dinh

Suy Dinh, the visionary co-founder and master distiller of SuTi Craft Distillery, crafts each spirit with a passion. Also known as Ruou De Ong Gia, the company is the first to introduce Vietnamese rice spirits, ruou de, to America.

Within months of its opening, SuTi Craft Distillery garnered significant media attention, with features on TV news and in magazines in the US and Vietnam. This early recognition was soon followed by its products earning top awards from the American Distilling Institute - International Spirits Competition.

● Ruou De Ong Gia was awarded double gold in both 2023 and 2024.
● Ruou De Dzo earned a prestigious “Best of Class-Distilled-US Asian Spirit” in both 2024 and 2025.
● SuTi Rising Phoenix rice whisky was honored with the prestigious title of “Best New US Spirit” in 2025.

SuTi products are currently available in retail locations across Texas, California, and Louisiana.

Suy’s story began long before he became a master distiller. Born in Vietnam on March 23, 1964 in Doc Mo, a small farming village in Long Khanh province. On the morning of April 31, 1975, the day after Saigon surrendered, his family–his parents and nine siblings–along with relatives, boarded a fishing boat in Vung Tau, and set sail for Thailand. Just a few hours into their journey, a cargo ship rescued and took them to a refugee camp in Guam. In May 1975, Suy’s family arrived at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas. The U.S. Army base was a temporary home, a place where they received cultural training, learned English, and waited for a sponsor to help with their resettlement.

On October 15, 1975, sponsored by the Catholic Church, his family settled in Springfield, Missouri. As a young boy, he easily adapted to his new culture, excelling in math and science despite a constant struggle with English. After choosing to study electrical engineering, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Texas Tech University in 1988 and began a 21-year career at a small telecom company that was later acquired by Alcatel-Lucent.

In 2009, his position was outsourced to India, and he was laid off. This experience forced Suy out of his comfort zone, and he decided to take a couple of years off. During this time, he volunteered to teach a beginner computer class at the Vietnamese Community Center, where he met older veterans of the South Vietnamese Republic Army. These men, ten to twenty years his senior, often drank ruou de in Vietnam. While they wanted to continue the tradition at their gatherings, they didn’t know where to buy it.

Suy was introduced to ruou de by a client of his wife. The client, a former distillery owner in Vietnam, offered to teach Suy how to make it. Suy, an avid cook, immediately accepted. He noticed that traditional ruou de was often too strong and harsh for the younger generation. Determined to create a smoother, more palatable spirit, he spent years experimenting with different types of rice, yeast, temperature, and fermentation and distillation techniques. After years of dedication, SuTi Craft Distillery opened its doors in November 2020 with co-founder Tien Ngo. Suy continues to improve his craft and create new products, driven by his vision for ruou de to be enjoyed and accepted worldwide.